Meaning of the Uruz Rune in Iron Alchemy of the Gods

by ·
March 31, 2016

Meaning of the URUZ Rune (UR)

You are reading an excerpt from the 3rd edition of Iron Alchemy of the Gods – Available in Hard copy in the latter half of 2016.

The first rune which will be required in order to complete our full body and spiritual transformation is Uruz. This rune corresponds with strength. It is the most potent rune that we will be dealing with in this book.

We pronounce this rune by saying “ooo-rooze.” While, currently the sound of this rune has dissolved amongst the English speaking peoples of our folk, it has retained some attachment and use within the modern German language (Ur). However, our goal, as English speakers, will be to revive it and give it life once again in the near future. Understanding the language of Uruz will unlock the meaning of the rune and as I will show you below, we do have the keys to do so.

If we consider the variant rune name of Ur, we will be able to discover vestiges of the rune in our contemporary language. Vestiges that are hidden and obscure, but decodable. First, we must convert Ur to the English root Or and Er. Before we understand why this must be done, and what it means for the Iron Alchemy and our understanding of the rune, let’s examine Uruz’s relationship with the Auroch.

An analysis of this rune’s linguistic origins leads us to find it as an expression of the mighty Auroch (The Aur-Ox or the Ur-Ox), the now extinct European bison. This beast, having each horn measuring close to 3 feet, would stand nearly 6 feet tall. The distance between the tip of each horn could reach lengths of 12 feet. Since such a reference is found in our linguistic record, it reveals the importance this beast played in the life of our ancestors. We must remember, our ancestors communicate to us through what they have left for us. It is also clear, that in the scope of the Norse and Germanic tradition, Uruz serves as a possible reference to Audhumbla, the primordial cow central to the Norse Creation story. The promulgation of the idea of a giant bovine during creation is found not only in the Norse mythos, but also in many Indo-European traditions. The Celtics described the white bull of Ai, The Hindus mention Yama. The early bovine is also found in Latin and Persian mythos. Altogether, a creation cow is found in 5 of the 11 significant language groups of the Indo-Europeans. A fact we must consider as important to the reconstruction of our heritage and religion; and in the quest to gain an accurate representation of our world. These types of insights will wrestle our civilization from the grip of the last 2000 years of a foreign religion that was forcefully grafted upon us.

Ymir and Audumbla

Before we discuss some more linguistic details concerning Uruz, look at the poetic representation of this rune:

“Dross comes from bad iron;
the reindeer often races over the frozen snow.”

– Old Norwegian Rune Poem

Note: The reindeer here is interchangeable with the Auroch. The reason that it was not transcribed as so originally is because the bison had disappeared from the landscape completely by the time our rune poem was written and no reference to the Auroch served the people of the time –people who were already in a state of decline.

One may ask, what does the reindeer (Auroch) often racing over the frozen snow have to do with this rune? It’s quite simple. This rune is dealing with the concept of self-mastery. One aspect of Uruz is giving insight into the nature of being able to harness the world. The reindeer here has mastered travelling over an impossible landscape. Not only can it navigate upon the snow, but it “races” over it. This concept is the northern version of the eastern saying of “ride the tiger.” A saying which emphasizes staying above violent and chaotic forces, never letting them get the best of you. Uruz, like the saying of “ride the tiger,” also has the concept of mounting hidden into it, which I will elaborate a little further below.

The first part of the poem states, “dross comes from bad Iron.”

Dross is essentially waste from the blacksmithing process. We can now also see that embedded deep within this rune is the imagery of forging. Dross comes from forging with bad iron. This can refer to circumstances, beliefs, opinions, and individuals. Particularly it is considering the soul as the metal to be smithed. This poem, and particularly the rune Uruz is dealing with an inner alchemy of self-mastery and strength.

With the concepts from the rune poem fresh in our mind, we can now return to focus on the linguistic origins and ties of the rune Uruz. Let’s investigate it deeper by taking a look into the sounds of the rune..

Uruz, and particularly in Ur -the shortened form of the rune, we discover the root *Or or *Er. *Or pertains to a condition of reality, while *Er describes a person that does something or an activity. Here we can meditate on words such as “origin,” whose proper meaning means to set into motion.

“*Or-igin” contains the Proto-Indo European root *ergh- “to mount.” Once again, we are seeing a relationship between Uruz and the Auroch forming.

By breaking down the rune poem and examining connections in the language of the rune, we have unlocked 3 clear concepts out of the meaning of the Uruz rune:

Mastering (Mounting) + Forging + Strength.

(To be continued……)

Read more later this year when Iron Alchemy of the Gods 3rd edition is released in Summer of 2016 and finally in hard copy.